A survey of cat owners in England conducted earlier this year found that women sleep better with a cat than they do with a human partner.

The study, conducted by an organization called Cats Protection, polled a total of 420 individuals ranging in age from 20 to 40. A total of 44% reported enjoying a better night's sleep with their cat on their bed than with their human partner in their bed.

Only 26% of the men who were polled agreed, but a majority — 51 percent — of the women did. Among the other advantages of cats cited by respondents were more space on the bed, purring and an absence of snoring.

Most of the respondents — 55 percent — indicated that they would be willing to allow their cats to "hog the covers" in order to make themselves more comfortable, but not permit partners to do so.

By the Animal News Center Inc.

Researchers working at the Royal Institute of Technology (RIT) in Stockholm, Sweden recently discovered that all dogs are descended from wolves that lived in East Asia approximately 15,000 years ago.

The researchers, who conducted a four-year study of the DNA of a large number of dogs and wolves, discovered that although all dogs originated from the same "genetic pool," there is more genetic variation among dogs in China, Cambodia, Thailand, Tibet, Korea and Japan than among those in western Asia, Europe, Africa or the Americas. "This makes it probable that dogs originated in East Asia and spread all over the world," said RIT evolutionary biologist Dr. Peter Savolainen, who participated in conducting the study.

The researchers found that dogs are descended from at least five different female wolves, but concluded that the DNA of the wolves was similar enough to suggest that the animals were members of the same population.

Among the dogs that most resemble their ancestors are greyhounds, dingoes and Mexicans hairless. Most dogs have a far different appearance because of the breeding for specific purposes that took place in post-medieval Europe.